Twilight Exodus
by Yeshua
Summary: Mickey’s dead and the worlds are back to normal. However, someone isn’t feeling quite the same. Being halfHeartless is opening doors and revealing truths that he rather not know. You see, for Sora, sanity is a hard thing to maintain. [AntiSora fic]
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Yes, you know that it wouldn't take long for Twilight Exodus to arrive. Well, let's get down to the specifics. Oh this takes place nearly a year from the Epilogue of Twilight Emergence.

**Title:** Twilight Exodus

**Character:** You know who is alive and dead by now.

**Plot:** Mickey's dead and the worlds are back to normal. However, someone isn't feeling quite the same. Being half-Heartless is opening doors and revealing truths that he rather not know. You see, for Sora, sanity is a hard thing to maintain. (Anti-Sora fic) (A part of the Twilight trilogy)

**Pairings:** AxelxRoxas, SoraxKairi.

**Warning:** This is supposed to be a lot darker than the previous two. With that much said, updates will be every other day or possibly longer. If I have chapters already done, I will post everyday, but don't count on that too much.

* * *

Twilight Exodus

Chapter 1

Destiny Islands

Kairi:

A soft cry stirred me from my slumber. I didn't have to guess at what it was. I sat up slowly, stifling a small yawn. Absentmindedly, I glanced over to the other side of the bed. Its inhabitant wasn't there. I detected his scent faintly. He had just left moments ago. My gaze drifted over to the crib. A weary looking Demyx was standing in front of it with my son, Zion.

"Oh, Demyx, you should get some sleep. I can take care of him," I said softly.

"Don't worry about it, Kairi. I don't mind taking care of him."

I smiled softly. Everyone had taken such a shine to little Zion. Roxas and Axel fought over taking care of him often. Demyx and Riku often rose in the middle of the night to feed him a bottle. If he was really fussy, Sora would sit with him for as long as it took to calm down. I wondered where he was tonight. He had been very restless lately. He barely slept at all except for certain times during the day.

I pulled the comforter back and placed my legs over the edge of the bed. I stood up and walked out of the room. I wondered through the hallways until I reached the back of the house. Brushing aside the curtains, I glanced out at the area. Our house was on a hill overlooking a beach. It had cost Demyx a lot, but it was definitely worth it. There was a figure standing near the edge of the hill. I opened the door and stepped outside. The air was warm and breezy. The figure turned around.

"Baby, you should go back inside and try to sleep. Demyx has Zion for the night," I said in a soft voice.

Sora stared at me and rubbed his arms.

"I'm just not ready to sleep, Kairi."

He flinched and looked away. I closed the distance between us and embraced him. He relaxed into my embrace and rested his head on my shoulder.

"I'm worried about you, Sora."

A sharp intake of breath followed my statement.

"Please don't worry about me, Kairi. I'm fine. I promise."

* * *

Sora:

It hurt me to lie to Kairi. We were bonded to each other. I was indebted to her for saving me. And I was lying to her in her face. I swallowed an inward growl of shame.

"Go back to bed. I promise I'll be back in soon," I suggested.

Kairi nodded and headed back into the house. I let out a quiet sigh of relief once she disappeared inside. She hadn't seen the wounds on my arms. That in itself was a blessing. She would have never gone back into the house without me. Kairi could be pretty stubborn if she wanted to. All of the concealing was literally making me sick. I hardly had time to care for the wounds. Ah yes, the wounds.

Someone would actually think I was crazy if I tried to explain. I had been attacked by people in golden armor almost every night. I had discovered that sometimes they appeared in the daytime, but no one could see them. I, eerily enough, was the only one who could see them. I didn't know their purpose. I just wanted it to stop. I was beginning to think that I was literally insane. Maybe I was.

But I could not rest as long as Kairi was around. I didn't want those people to hurt her or my son. However, I didn't know how long I would last. Sighing gently, I turned back towards the house. Some quality time with Zion would be nice.

* * *

Morning

7:59 A.M.

Kairi:

The household was up at the crack of dawn literally. Dawn was usually the time Demyx finally had to give Zion up so that he could get ready for 'work'. Roxas was usually who took over next. Axel slept in late until about noon and we didn't dare wake him up before then. Riku slept late as well. I usually started my day in the kitchen making breakfast. Today's menu was custom made omelets.

"Well, I'm going to head out for the day," Demyx announced.

Roxas rolled his eyes.

"Vampire," He muttered loudly.

"I am not a vampire, Roxas. If you say that again, I'll show you what the water forms can really do!"

"Have a good day, Demyx," I said before Roxas could react.

"If you need anything, you know how to reach me."

"Roxas, have you seen Sora?" I asked.

"He's probably in your room seeing as how I retrieved Zion from him."

So he did eventually come inside last night. I walked out of the kitchen and navigated up the hallway to our room. The door was slightly ajar. I pushed it open a little bit and crept in. Sora was sprawled across the bed. He looked so innocent…

It was then that I noticed his arm. They were covered with wounds. Some even looked like they were infected. And he said not to worry about him early last night? I touched his face. It was very warm to the touch.

"Sora, wake up," I said gently.

Sora's eyes immediately shot open.

"Ah, I must have fallen asleep by accident."

"You're burning up. You need to rest and take it easy, Sora. Do not tell me to not worry about you."

"Okay, okay, I will."

This went a lot easier than expected. Naturally, I didn't get to the real issue. Those wounds came from something. In order to find out what it was would result in a lengthy, difficult conversation. I turned away from my bonded and exited the room. When I finally returned to the kitchen, Roxas was gone and Riku was sitting down at the table.

"Good Morning, Kairi."

"Morning Riku."

"You sound distressed."

"Sora…he's ill. He's got wounds all over his arms."

Riku turned to look at me.

"Wounds? Where from?"

"I don't know. He's been up late at night for months. I've hardly seen him sleep at all except for random naps during the day."

"Well, he could be hunting still, but we don't know that for sure. For now, we shouldn't worry about it. Besides, we got a letter from Merlin today."

_A letter from Merlin?_

"What did it say?"

"Ansem the Wise has gone missing."

I knew what that meant already. The question was whether I would stay here or take Zion and go along. Sora would have a fit though if I went…

"When do we leave?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Early afternoon. Gummi Ship travel is impossible now. We would have to travel through the dark realm."

"Okay. I'll tell Sora."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden

3:39 P.M.

Kairi:

The trip was relatively uneventful. The Heartless kept their distance away from us. I think that was partly because of Sora's presence. Sora was actually looking a little better. He was still a little pale and his eyes were still a little glossy. He wore a hood over his head as we walked through the town/city. Because of what happened before, we all felt it was best to conceal him, Roxas and Demyx.

Why?

Some of the people who were brought back held some bitterness about what had happened. All of us were prepared for some kind of hostility today. We walked into Merlin's house and sat down at the large table in the middle of the room. Small cups of tea appeared in front of us, steaming slightly.

"Hello everyone."

The old wizard walked into the room, followed by a neutral looking Aerth. I concealed my frown as she took a seat at the table next to Demyx who was holding Zion. I had almost killed the woman months ago for speaking out against Sora. I still felt uneasy with her around. With Sora sick, I felt inclined to keep him as well as Zion safe.

"Hello Merlin, why did you send for us?" Riku asked.

"Ansem the Wise, as you know, is missing. We have reason to believe that he's in his computer."

"May I ask how?" I asked.

"We don't know exactly, but there was a device on the other side of the room."

"Sora and I will go to check it out," Riku replied.

I shot him a look filled with uncertainty. Riku shot me a reassuring look in return.

"Thank you," Merlin said in a grateful voice.

Zion coughed and started to cry. Demyx made little noises and started rocking him back and forth.

"Oh, is that your child?" Aerth asked.

I watched as she turned to face Demyx. Demyx casually glanced at me as if seeking my approval.

"Yes, that's our son, Zion," I said tersely.

With every moment that she hovered over Demyx, my patience began to unravel.

"You sound tense, Kairi. Is there something wrong?"

Before I could say anything, Sora stood up and pulled off his hood.

"She's tense because you won't get away from our soon. I believe you should step away from Demyx," He snapped.

Aerth moved away from Demyx quickly and walked out of the room. I got up and walked over to the 'Melodious Nocturne'. He handed Zion to me and let out a huge yawn.

"Riku, after you and Sora get finished with the task, I want to talk to you."

* * *

4:45 P.M.

Riku:

I had a feeling that conflict was going to brew up while Sora and I were in the castle. Kairi and the others could handle nearly everything that came their way. I suppose that it was comforting that Sora was with me. At least, things wouldn't get anymore complicated with Anti-Sora running around. Speaking of which, Anti-Sora was looking slightly flushed in his face. His eyes were a dull amber color. Honestly, he didn't look so well.

"Sora, you don't have to go with me," I said in a soft voice.

"You're usually not concerned about my health, Riku."

Sora had a hint of a smile on his lips. I rolled my eyes at him. The truth was that I barely cared about him. I cared deeply about Kairi and Zion. Sora's actions months ago had put all of us in danger. I had swallowed all of my anger to keep the peace. But now…

"We're going into a new world. We have to be careful."

"I know."

Aerth typed a few things into the computer behind us. The device in front of us made a noise and emitted a flash of light. When the light faded away, both of us were standing in a room with a computer tucked away in a corner. Everything was green and blue.

"Our clothes changed," Sora commented.

I glanced down at my torso. I was in some kind of blue suit. Sora was in a green suit of his own.

"This is really different."

"I sense Heartless."

Heartless…no wonder why Ansem the Wise disappeared here. There was no telling how big this place was. Sora walked out of the room. I followed behind him. Outside of the room was a bigger area…it sort of resembled a canyon. Magic exploded in the air a few yards ahead of me. Sora had gotten a head start with hunting Heartless.

I finally caught back up with him moments later. I was aware of how red the bottom half of his face looked. Was he foolishly hiding the fact that he was ill?

"You two must be users."

A man dressed in a blue one-piece suit walked into view. I had no idea what he was talking about. However, it seemed like Sora did.

"I remember you…you must be Tron," Sora exclaimed in a thoughtful voice.

"Sora…" Tron said softly.

"It's very good to see you, Tron. Riku and I are looking for another user—Ansem the Wise."

"What a coincidence, I am looking for him too."

That means that Tron hadn't seen him at all.

"Is there any way you can search for him, Tron?" I asked.

"Yes. I can run a search for him."

"Great. Sora let's go back and report to Merlin."

* * *

Kairi:

I gently sat Zion down on the bed and set two pillows beside him. Thankfully, he stayed asleep. I needed time to think. With the incident earlier, I had felt uneasy staying in the town. I walked out of the bedroom and into the common room. Axel and Roxas were sitting on the couch. Demyx was nowhere to be seen. However, there was a new addition to the room—an unwelcome one. Cloud Strife was standing in the main doorway leading into our hotel room. Paranoia and suspicion hit me like an ocean wave.

"What are you doing here?" I asked softly.

"I heard that Sora was back in town."

Suddenly, I had a feeling that was about Zion.

"So what if he is. What is really about Cloud?"

"That child of yours…"

"You leave Zion out of your vendetta."

My voice was deadly and filled with venom. Roxas and Axel stood up. I motioned for them to stay back. I wasn't afraid to fight by myself.

"I'm afraid I can't."

"Then you will learn."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Yes, for those who guessed it, the people in golden armor are from the KH2 secret ending. Thank you for all of your reviews!

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 3

Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden

Riku:

Halfway into the residential neighborhood, Sora stopped and emitted a low growl. I doubted that he was sensing Heartless. The alarms would have sounded if there was. So…the only other thing that could make Sora react that way was Kairi. My answer came when Sora disappeared entirely from view and he was in front of me. I shook my head. A day can't go by without chaos. I took off running for the hotel.

* * *

Kairi:

Cloud lifted his buster sword and was met with two keyblades, two chakrams, and a sitar. All of the boys had serious expressions on their faces. I was actually relieved that they reacted so suddenly. Sora appeared in the middle of the room with a burst of dark energy. He was furious, which meant that he had felt my emotions through the link. Things were about to get very ugly, very quickly.

"Any reason why you are here, Cloud?" Sora asked.

Roxas and Axel lowered their weapons but kept their gaze on Sora.

"I was having a chat with Kairi."

"Really? Then why did the others draw their weapons on you?"

"Sora…it's okay. Cloud was just leaving," I said loudly.

I could feel some of Sora's anger fade.

"Why are you protecting him? If you were wise enough, you'll see that he'll turn on you eventually," Cloud snapped.

He exited the room, leaving tension behind in his wake. His words weren't to be ignored, no matter how cruel and spiteful they were. Sora walked past me into our room wordlessly and shut the door. Riku burst into the room moments later, panting heavily. I took a seat in a nearby chair and rubbed my head.

"Where's Sora?" Riku asked.

"In the room," Axel answered.

"He didn't—"

"No, he didn't. But he was going to."

Riku sighed.

"That idiot! Doesn't he know that he's placed us into a position we can't handle?"

I couldn't deal with this right now. I wasn't ready for the shouts and arguments. I made the decision to become his bonded…

"Riku, please…not now," I said in a pleading voice.

"You can't keep avoiding the issue."

"Yes I can! I can avoid the issue! It's my right!" I shouted.

I stood up and headed for the door. Riku blocked it.

"Move out of the way," I snapped, adding a growl to edge of my voice.

My head was beginning to pound.

"I can't do that."

I narrowed my eyes, giving him the meanest death glare possible and took off for the confines of my room. After shutting the door behind me, I allowed the tears to fall from my eyes. I had hoped that all of this would stop when Mickey died. It hadn't. Riku was now threatening to shred the harmony I had created. All because of Sora.

"Kairi?"

That was Sora's voice, devoid of any anger that it had previously contained. I wiped the tears away from my face and turned to face the bed. Sora was lying across the bed on his back, eyes closed.

"You were crying," He stated.

"It wasn't because of you," I lied.

I felt terrible lying to him. He didn't deserve that.

"Yes it was. You don't have to say it, your voice gives it away."

"Sora, I don't want you to think that."

Sora opened his eyes slowly.

"You deserve better."

His words had inadvertently chilled me to the bone.

"Don't say that, Sora. I chose to be bonded with you. We have a son now."

"But deep in your heart, you are considering Riku's words."

"You know I wouldn't do that," I said softly.

"Yeah, I know. I just don't want you to cry anymore."

* * *

Roxas:

Riku had retired to his room after Kairi had retreated to hers. I had a feeling that this wasn't over yet. As with most things, this situation would continue to flare up.

"I'm hungry," Axel commented.

I smiled at my other half.

"Are you sure you aren't hungry for mischief?"

"That too. I think I'll go get something to eat."

"Okay. Take Demyx with you and make sure you get something for everyone. I'm going to get Zion for a little while."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Axel muttered as he gave me a kiss on the lips.

I stood up and headed for Kairi's room. I opened the door and walked inside. Sora was standing next to the window. Kairi was nowhere to be seen, but the sound of running water could be heard. Little Zion was lying on the bed awake and cooing.

"I get the feeling that Kairi would be happy without me," Sora said in a soft voice.

"She loves you, Sora. Why would you think something like that?"

"Because of what I am."

He walked out of the room. Seconds later, I heard a door slam. He's going to hunt now. Killing to take away the pain. Sighing softly, I gently picked up Zion.

"You know, your cute button nose is the source of all this trouble. You're worse than Axel."

* * *

Sora:

It was exhilarating to run in full Anti-form in the rain. I was free to run away from my problems…for now. I slowed down to a walk once I reached the bailey area. Heartless lurked before me, staring at me with big golden orbs. Shadows and soldiers. I struck first, tearing into the group with claws. Black vapor danced upward in the air. The violence just felt right. The group soon lay in tatters across my feet. I took in the hearts that they left behind.

The Heartless devoured and stored hearts as a necessity. Being half-Heartless meant that I hungered for the heart. The taste of it was enough to give me chills. I hadn't hunted in a matter of months. I did it for the sake of Kairi. But alas, old habits are hard to break. I sat down on the ground and sighed. Kairi wasn't happy. My dual existence was getting in the way of things. Cloud had almost attacked Kairi and Zion because of me.

Not to mention that I was slowly going insane. At least, I guess I was. The rain slowed down to a light tempo and the visibility cleared up somewhat. Then I saw something that made my breath hitch in my throat. There was a figure in golden armor directly in front of me. Of all of the times to appear now…I drew my dark energy inward and stood up.

"Hello, Sora."

This person had an unmistakable female voice.

"Who are you? Why are you following me?"

"You will know in time who I am. As to why I'm following you…you know what you wield."

She was talking about the keyblade. I thought all of that would have stopped with Mickey.

"You're not real. You're just a figment of my imagination."

The woman laughed.

"Can figments of your imagination do this?"

Before I could blink, the woman was directly in front of me with a keyblade in her hand. I couldn't react before she slashed my chest with the blade. A wave of energy accompanied the strike, knocking me backwards. I hit the wall of the bailey. The pain was unbearable. It felt like I was being stabbed in every part of my body with tiny needles. The woman laughed again and lifted her keyblade.

"Don't worry, Sora. I won't kill you today or ever for that matter. I'd rather drive you insane."

She faded away into the rain. I touched my chest and let out a shuddering breath.

"Make this stop…"

* * *

Kairi:

Axel had brought large containers of Chinese food to eat. I was extremely grateful to him, especially since I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Everyone was in the common room, except for Sora. I grew slightly worried about that. He seemed really upset earlier. I meant to talk with him more after I cleared my head in the shower, but he wasn't there. I checked the link in the back of my head. Nothing was there.

What had Sora gotten himself into? I slowly sat down in the chair and took a plate of food off of the table. Perhaps he was okay and he was just blocking our link. Still…

"So what will happen tomorrow, Riku?" I asked, trying to take my mind off of the situation.

"We will see if Tron has found something and search around some on foot."

"I would like to go with you, if you don't mind."

"That's…fine."

He was hesitant to let me go.

"It's fine, Riku. I can handle myself."

Roxas and Axel fell silent.

"That would could be dangerous. I don't want you to be there."

"Sora would let me go."

That set him off.

"Sora's not here. He's probably out hunting and making things more difficult for us."

"That's not fair."

"What's not fair, Kairi? Do you expect me to just forget that he stole you from me?"

Even though I didn't want it to, an awkward silence filled the room.

"I thought you were over that," I said quietly.

"Perhaps not."

I started on my food, analyzing every word that was just said. I wished that Sora was here beside me so that he could defend his self. But then again, it wasn't about him. It was about me. After a few bites, I found that I wasn't about him. It was about me. After a few bites, I found that I wasn't really hungry. With a sigh, I sat my plate back on the table and headed for the door.

"Wait, Kairi. I'll go with you," Axel said in a soft voice.

I opened the door and stepped outside of the hotel room. Knowing that he would catch up later, I proceeded to head outside. The rain had passed, leaving the streets wet and shiny. The air smelled much like blood…or maybe that was my Heartless senses behaving strangely.

"I knew you wouldn't leave me."

I sighed loudly.

"I want to leave this all behind."

"I have to admit that this conflict between Riku, Sora and you is tiresome. But now's not the time to give up. Sora and Zion need you to be strong."

"I know. But Sora…"

"Remember what I told you, Kairi. Besides, Roxas, Demyx and I are behind you no matter what."

I offered Axel a warm smile. It felt great to know who my allies were.

_Kai…_

Sora?

_Sora?_

I waited a few moments before gently probing the mind link. Sora seemed confused and disoriented. Fear crept into my mind. Was he hurt? Had he gotten into trouble? Axel looked at me in concern.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Sora…he's confused and disoriented. I can't tell what happened to him."

_Sora, where are you?_

_Bailey._

"He's at the Bailey! Come on!"

After several minutes of running, we reached the Bailey. Against the wall was Sora who seemed weak and dazed. He was being surrounded by white forms…

"Nobodies," Axel muttered.

I didn't want to know why the Nobodies were here. My mind was focused on Sora and the fact he couldn't defend himself. My body reacted to my duress and anger by allowing me to assume Anti-form. With a mighty hiss, I tore into the group of Nobodies with fury and anger. One by one, the white smooth bodies of the Nobodies faded away into nothingness. There was nothing left after a few minutes.

I rushed over to Sora's side. He was trembling and his face was almost blue. There was a large gash across his chest that was oozing blood.

"Use Curaga, Kairi," Axel suggested.

Casting Curaga might kill him. I couldn't risk that. I ran the edge of my claws along my wrist, slicing it open. I used my other uninjured hand to prop his mouth open. I placed my injured wrist over his mouth. Sora weakly took it in for a few seconds before averting his head. I sent healing energy through my body before I lost too much blood.

"Sora…can you hear me? Come on, baby…"

Sora's eyes fluttered open.

"My imagination," He choked out.

"Imagination? Sora, I'm here."

"No…the people in the golden armor…"

He fell silent. I checked my mental link. He must have fallen unconscious.

"Axel…" I breathed, tears brimming in my eyes.

Sora…please don't leave me now.

"I know. But perhaps he hasn't lost his mind. Time can only tell. In the meantime, we must get him back to the hotel."

God help us…


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** I'm sorry that this chapter took so long. A lot of things have been going on, so you'll have to forgive me. (Especially the tropical storm that has forced my college to cancel classes.) Please bear with me as I attempt to gather my train of thought for future chapters. The next chapter will delve a little more into the KH 2 secret ending and what it has to do with this story.

Chapter 4

Space Paranoids/Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden

1:06 A.M.

Kairi:

A destroyer loomed in front of me, body crackling with electrical energy. Dark power coursed through my veins, byproduct of my anti-transformation. My senses were as sharp as ever. So this was what Sora went through when he hunted…

"Bring it on," I said confidently.

Dashing forward, I summoned my keyblade and sort of slid forward. I slid underneath the Heartless effortlessly. I swung the keyblade at one of his back legs, cutting cleanly through it. I stood up and performed a neat front flip out from under it. Roxas jumped down next to me with a wide smile on his face.

The Heartless that I had just attacked was fading away now. Roxas, Riku and I were in the new world, attempting to find Ansem the Wise. Thanks to last night, I wasn't speaking to him. That's why Roxas was with me now. Axel and Demyx stayed behind to keep an eye on Sora, which I was extremely grateful for. I was still worried about him…but he seemed to be doing better this morning.

His words still chilled me from last night. People in golden armor? Even Axel couldn't figure out what he meant. Somehow, maybe he was trying to give us a warning. A warning about what I wonder…

A small twinge hit my spine like an ocean wave. I winced. Roxas shot me a concerned glance. More Heartless…that was the twinge. Must be further ahead…

I shook my head. Sora was way better at this than I was. However, I had to strengthen my skills by myself.

"Roxas, there's Heartless up ahead. I think there may be a lot of them."

"Okay, let's investigate."

After going about a few yards ahead, we saw a medium-sized group of shadows covering something. A human, perhaps? I hissed and set off a Holy spell. The entire area went white as small orbs fired off 'lasers' into the writhing group. However, something was wrong. I started to feel weak in my legs…and then dizzy.

I fell to the ground. The spell shattered and faded.

What was going on? Why did I feel so dizzy? Maybe I was pushing myself too hard. Yes, that would be a logical explanation.

Roxas knelt down next to me and handed me a hi-potion. I uncorked it and drank it down quickly. My dizziness faded…but not by much. Riku helped Ansem the Wise off of the ground.

"His heart…was it stolen?" I asked softly.

"I can't tell," Roxas muttered.

I slowly straightened up into a standing position.

"He's unconscious. We need to get him back to Hollow Bastion," Riku announced.

That was one thing I could agree with. But why did something still feel off?

Sora:

I gently sat Zion on the bed so that he could sleep and I could get some things done. The hotel room was empty. Demyx had chased Axel out into the streets for putting baby food in his hair earlier. They still hadn't come back. Kairi and the others were searching for Ansem the Wise. I stepped out of the bedroom, gently closing the door behind me. A peculiar scent found its way into my nose.

It wasn't the Nobodies. It was more like Heartless…

My senses began to burn. I felt a slight vibration underneath my feet.

Just what in the hell was heading my way?

Another vibration…this time stronger than before.

I think it's time to secure Zion and move to somewhere safe.

I opened the door and stepped inside the bedroom. My son was safely tucked away in a sling that Demyx had brought for him. I gently picked it up and fastened it to my body. There was a stronger vibration than before. This time, I was nearly knocked off of my feet by the sheer force. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the walls beginning to crumble.

Okay, gotta make my exit…and now.

My gaze shot over to the window.

A little unorthodox, but it had to do.

I hurried over to it and opened it. The walls to my right collapsed revealing the body of a destroyer. Without hesitation, I launched myself through the window. Walls and glass exploded behind me, littering the air with debris. A rooftop loomed before me. With one hand shielding Zion, I twisted my body so that I could negotiate a proper landing. Once I hit the roof, I straightened up.

How in the world did these Heartless get here?

The destroyer that was in the hotel turned in my direction. Energy crackled off of its body. My senses tingled. It was changing up a spell. Zion let out a shrill cry.

I think I need to move…

The moment I started to turn around, the hairs on the back of my neck began to rise. Instinctively, I conjured energy to shield Zion. Lightning crashed down onto my location with enough force to propel me off of the roof. Pain danced through my veins as I flew. I was nearly unconscious before I realized that I was actually falling. Twisting my body around, I managed to land on all fours. Pain shot through my right wrist.

Great…now I broke something else.

I straightened up and took in my new surroundings. I was in a street above two or three blocks away from the hotel. The destroyer that had attacked me before had somehow vanished. I probably would have though that such an occurrence was unusual if I was a normal human. I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. All of the excitement had my heart racing. Not to mention that I was bordering on physical exhaustion.

A few moments had passed by before I had a small twinge again.

What now?

Zion had seemed to calm down a little since the destroyer attack. I didn't dare take the energy that was protecting him away. A loud roar pierced the silence. Fire motorcycle-like Heartless veered around the corner. I turned and started to run in the opposite direction. Just before I could get very far, six more motorcycle-like Heartless veered in front of me. I backed up a couple of steps.

They closed in instantly.

I swear I hate my luck. Why does every Heartless want a piece of me? Oh yeah…I'm the Keyblade Master.

I pulled my energy into my center, preparing for an area effect spell. Only one came into mind—the spell that Mickey used to destroy The World that Never Was: Ultima.

"Ultima," I whispered.

The words rolled forth from my lips and it seemed like the entire world stopped at that moment. Power burst forth from my body and shot into the air. The sky darkened instantly and fire began to rain down. It immediately began to engulf the Heartless. The energy intensified until there was nothing left of the Heartless or half of the town for that matter. After the spell died, I fell down to my knees. It was as if someone knocked the air out of my lungs. All of a sudden, I couldn't breathe. Perhaps I had pushed myself too hard.

Okay, I did push myself too hard.

I curled myself up into a protective ball around Zion.

"Once upon a time, Zion…there was a boy who wanted to see new places with his friends. Instead…"

I drew in a shaky breath.

"…he saved the world…"

Kairi:

Roxas, Riku and I ran down the street as fast as we could go towards the hotel. Once we got there…there was only debris and the remains of Heartless. My breath hitched in my throat.

Where was Sora?

I checked our link and found nothing.

"Kairi!"

I turned around only to see Axel and Demyx…but no Sora or Zion. I could feel myself beginning to panic.

"You guys are safe…" I said as calmly as I could.

"We've been trying to find Sora. He had released a powerful spell earlier that had wiped out a city block," Demyx said in a slightly high voice.

Oh god…the Heartless must have attacked him. I doubted if he had enough energy to fight off anything after last night…

"Did he have Zion?" Riku asked.

He was voicing the question I had in my heart.

"I doubt he could have left Zion behind," Axel commented dryly.

"Do you have any idea where he might be?" I asked, voice cracking with emotion.

It was like my world was crumbling around me.

"Kairi…calm down, it will be alright," Roxas said as calmly as he could.

"Come with us," Demyx said gently.

We followed them down the ruined street and around the corner. At first, we couldn't see much of anything…but then, I heard Zion's cry. My gaze fell on a body curled up into a loose ball.

"Sora…" I breathed.

I started forward. Upon closer inspection, the sling and Zion were being shielded by Sora's arms. I picked up a slight hint of energy from my son. He protected Zion with his own energy…Sora…

Roxas walked up to Sora and touched his neck.

"His pulse is erratic. I think he would be fine if he is allowed to recover fully at home. He feels so cold…"

I gently retrieved Zion from his arms and hugged him tight. Roxas promptly lifted Sora up over his shoulder.

"Axel, open a portal. We're going home.


End file.
